JP4717893B2 - Fryer oil soaker with outer shape, and method for producing a snack product piece having random bending and bulk density - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for controlling the bulk density of a packaged fried snack piece. More particularly, the present invention relates to providing a random shape or bend for each snack piece during cooking or frying so as to control the final bulk density when such products are packaged. .

Random Fried In the food industry, there are two typical methods of frying snack pieces such as potato chips with oil: random frying and fixed frying. One popular random frying method involves frying uncooked unfinished snack pieces in a random frying section of a multi-layer continuous fryer so that buoyancy can produce a random shape or bend. Published on Jun. 16, 1942 by Pringle et al. In US Pat. No. 6,099,049 entitled “Method and apparatus for processing potatoes” and September 22, 1964, Arthur D. et al. Such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,037,028, entitled "Process for cooking corn dough in chip form" by Anderson et al. The fried method is illustrated.

  U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,028 issued to Liepa on Sep. 28, 1971 discloses a random frying method for making potato chip products. In Liepa, '3, slicing raw potatoes, cooking the slices in a hot sump for a period of time until the soft slices are fried and crisp, then with oil It proposes to take fried chips out of the oil. Depending on the diameter and thickness of the potato slice, the chip is prepared to have a random surface bend that depends on both the total amount of time that the slice is immersed in the hot oil and the temperature of the oil. In the prior art, the fixed or frying method is difficult to use with snack pieces of different sizes or shapes. Instead, it is typical to use random frying for snack pieces that vary in size or shape.

  In US Pat. No. 6,057,059, Liepa also teaches that the chip must be packaged randomly in the random shape assumed for the chip. The reason for using a random package is that it is relatively inexpensive, requires a small amount of energy, and is less complex than packing a snack piece until it is packaged densely, ie, filled and aligned. Randomly packaged snack pieces require a lot of space on store shelves and consumer food storage shelves. Generally, when a consumer opens such a package, the snack pieces are stable and the bulk density is increased, leaving a substantial cavity in the package. Ideally, even after some stabilization has occurred during transport and handling, the entire package is filled with randomly packaged snack pieces when the package is opened.

  According to the prior art, referring to FIG. 1, an uncooked chip unfinished product 120 is continuously fed into cooking oil 104 of a random frying portion 106 of a continuous fryer 102 by an inlet conveyor 110. In the continuous fryer 102, the cooking oil 104 generally flows from the inlet conveyor 110 toward an outlet conveyor 114 that conveys the chip unfinished product 122. When the relatively wet chip unfinished product 122 is first introduced into the cooking oil 104, its weight 122 is usually greater than the buoyancy on the chip, so the wet chip unfinished product 122 is natural. And become immersed in oil. As the chip unfinished product 122 continues to be cooked and moves along a path in a continuous fryer (left to right in FIG. 1), moisture is released from the chip unfinished product 122 and the chip unfinished product 122 Buoyancy is greater than weight. At this point, the chip's unfinished product 124 floats generally closer to the surface of the oil, the closer it is to the prior art oil bath 112. At this point, the unfinished chips 124 are usually not rubbery and are less likely to stick to each other.

  The prior art oil soaker 112 generally swirls at a slower speed than the cooking oil 104 flow. Prior art oil dippers 112 typically have one or more optional, generally straight paddles, cleats or fins 116. The fins 116 function to collect unfinished products 124 of chips that are floating in a substantially single layer as unfinished products 126 of multiple layers of oil soaked chips. The fins 116 also function to ensure that the unfinished products 126 of the oil soaked chips do not clump together, i.e. stick to each other. By immersing the unfinished product 126 of the chip being cooked, both sides of the unfinished product 126 are cooked more evenly. Cooked chips 128 leave the prior art oil soaker 112 and exit the continuous fryer 102 on a seamless outlet conveyor 114.

According to the prior art, referring to FIG. 1a, the majority of the unfinished product 132 of oil soaked chips becomes so flat that it is transported along the cooking path. When these unfinished products 132 become substantially flat cooked chips, they leave the continuous fryer, but bend at the cooked chips 128 as a result of random cooking forces on the unfinished product 132 of the oil soaked chips. Is obtained. However, accidentally, a small amount of oil-immersed chip unfinished product 134 overlaps, or is bent excessively by being randomly pressed against fin 116 or other oil-soaked chip unfinished product 132. Sometimes it ends up. FIG. 6 illustrates a typical shape obtained as a triangular snack piece cooked by the prior art. The snack piece 128 is substantially flat but some has minimal bends. More or less bends can be obtained by using the fixed frying method.
Fixed Fried Another typical method for frying the snack pieces is by using a fixed or frying type. A number of patents disclose a method for producing a bend to a chip-type product made from a dough sheet by a fixed frying method. For example, a method for making a chip-type product with ripple is disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,057,028, issued to the Pringle et al. Issue on June 16, 1942 entitled “Method and apparatus for processing potatoes”. Has been. Other US patents disclose other similar methods for providing the desired final bend or shape for the snack pieces. In Patent Document 5 issued on December 21, 1976, Liepa et al. Fully dried an uncooked snack piece and fried the snack piece until it was in the final state before packaging. Discloses a method for forming a snack piece.

  In Patent Document 6 issued on April 27, 1971, Liepa has molded mold parts each so that frying oil can pass through and come into contact with a fixed food product. A fixed frying method in which a plurality of openings distributed on a surface is provided is disclosed. The mold parts cooperate to hold the dough part and maintain it during frying so that the surface curvature of the fried product coincides with the surface curvature of the mold surface. Similarly, in Patent Literature 7 issued on September 28, 1971 and Patent Literature 8 issued on December 7, 1971, Liepa discloses the same type, By passing the unfinished product of the dough into frying chips by passing it through the frying oil, a uniform size and shape are obtained for each chip.

  U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,028 issued to MacKendrick on 14 July 1970 discloses a machine for continuously and uniformly cutting and cooking snack pieces or chips from a sheet of dough. . MacKendrick actively transports the snack pieces through the frying medium in the same control manner as disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,057,049, and the resulting chips have a uniform color, texture and shape. A machine is disclosed. The MacKendrick invention improves on the Liepa '474 machine by using reciprocating cutters instead of rotary cutters that can operate at significantly higher speeds.

  Patent Document 10 entitled “Process for Cooking Corn Dough into Chip Shape” issued to Anderson et al. On September 22, 1964 is a corn flour dough chip cooked in a deep thick frying pan. In contrast, it teaches a method for providing a controlled bend configuration. Furthermore, the present invention teaches an apparatus for inducing a desired shape for a corn chip during cooking. The desired form is obtained by utilizing the wires provided on the frame so that a series of parallel wires are controllably moved in the oil. The spacing of the wires is adjusted to be slightly smaller than the diameter or maximum dimension of the chips to be cooked. The wire may be periodically immersed in cooking oil to hit a portion of the chip being cooked and then pulled up. When the parallel wire is pushed into the cooking oil, the wire hits the tip and either pushes the tip deeper into the cooking oil, or the tip rises after being pushed deeply into the cooking oil for a very short time, or The combination of these actions brings a bend to the chip. Even in this process, not all of the chips are touched and bent. In Anderson et al., US Pat. No. 6,057,836, it is desirable to pack a cone chip that combines a flat form and a bent form, the amount of the bent form being about 25% to 75% of the total amount of the chip. This teaches that it is preferable not to bend the entire chip.

In a recent US patent application, Dove et al. Disclose a single type flyer. If the tip is provided by buoyancy against a curved or contoured oil conveyor surface or mold surface, a uniform shape is given to a single layer of cooking tips. The Dove patent application is the same assignee as the present application and has the title “Single Shape Flyer with Improved Product” filed Jan. 21, 2003, 10 / 347,993. Such mold frying can provide a relatively predictable and uniform shape for each snack piece rather than a random bend.

Anderson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,096, mentioned above, teaches that if the tip to be fried is assumed to have a permanent shape or shape, it must bend during frying before the critical time. This critical time is the time for a given dough formulation to reach the glass transition point. FIG. 2 illustrates various states of a typical polymeric material such as a dough. Referring to FIG. 2, the polymer material and flour dough formulation can be flexible 202, rubbery 204, or glassy 208 at a predetermined temperature, depending on the composition of the material. The state of the dough depends in particular on humidity. In a typical case, the state of an edible chip product made with a predetermined dough formulation is that when the moisture is removed during cooking at a certain predetermined temperature, the flexible rubber state 204 goes through the glass transition state 206 and into the permanent glass state 208. Move. As the chip cools and is subsequently packaged, the chip remains in the glass state 208. The glass transition state 206 is a product in which the unfinished cooking chip loses flexibility and assumes its final shape. The glass transition state 206 is slightly misnamed because the term “transition” means an invariant equilibrium phenomenon over the rate of heating, cooling or other states. The actual transition point for a given product formulation may depend on the rate at which the material is heated, cooled, or dehydrated (cooked).
Packaging Cooked snack products are typically packaged in a random fashion in bags or other similar containers. Such a random package results in a package product having a relatively low degree of bulk density. A low bulk density package is substantially a package that has a much larger package capacity than the absolute capacity of the snack contained therein. If the snack pieces are not packaged randomly, the package will be able to contain a snack piece with a net weight much greater than the package capacity. Such inefficiencies become especially apparent when the chips are stable during transport.

A bent snack piece generally has a lower bulk density than an entirely flat snack piece when packaged randomly. Bent snack pieces do not tend to fit into each other and tend to leave a relatively large gap between the snack pieces as compared to flat snack pieces. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,028 issued on July 4, 1989, Szwerc teaches that the use of bent snack pieces reduces the bulk density of the packaged product. Patent document 11 of Szwerc allows for the thickness, bending, weight, and orientation of the snack pieces to be considered to achieve a density greater than that obtained by randomly packaging the snack pieces It teaches you to optimize as much as possible. Szwerc, US Pat. No. 6,057,059 teaches making bent snack chips by baking. In U.S. Published Patent Application No. 09 / 851,040, entitled “High Fill Density Snack Pieces”, Zimmerman et al. Teach that the shape and thickness of the snack pieces can function to reduce the packing density. Yes. Zimmerman teaches that interference between adjacent snack pieces due to an irregular size widens the space between the overlapping snack pieces, thereby reducing the bulk density.
US Pat. No. 2,286,644 US Pat. No. 3,149,978 US Pat. No. 3,608,474 US Pat. No. 2,286,644 US Pat. No. 3,998,975 US Pat. No. 3,576,647 US Pat. No. 3,608,474 US Pat. No. 3,626,466 US Pat. No. 3,520,248 US Pat. No. 3,149,978 U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,919

  However, the prior art does not teach how to fully control the thickness, bend, weight, orientation, or shape of the snack pieces to obtain the desired bulk density. Currently, the food industry is not designing products to the desired bulk density. The food industry matches the size of the product package to the desired weight of the randomly packaged product. The package is large enough to accept bulk density variations. Accordingly, there is a need for a method of permanently creating a specific shape for a snack piece in a method of making a snack product to a desired bulk density when randomly packaged. Furthermore, there is a need for a method for making a snack product without reducing process productivity or throughput.

Furthermore, there is a need for a method for controlling the change in bulk density while the snack product package is subjected to stabilizing forces during transport or handling. In particular, there are methods for preventing chip stabilization such that substantial air gaps remain in the product package. There is also a need for optimal filling that minimizes chip breakage. The benefit of meeting this need would be improved consumer perception that the package is substantially better filled with the product. There is also a need for loosely packaged consumer products. In this case, in each package, the bulk density is small and chip shingling is reduced.

  There is also a need for a method and apparatus for cooking snack pieces with consistent, controlled and predictable cooking times. With such a method and apparatus, chips with a more uniform color and texture are produced. Such methods and apparatus meet these criteria and can be used in high speed production environments. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method that provides a controlled bending configuration for a fried snack product piece. These and other objects will become apparent in the detailed description that follows.

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for providing a packaged fried snack product having a desired bulk density without reducing production efficiency or throughput. Such a method and apparatus is also useful in controlling the amount of bulk density change or stability of a packaged product when exposed to stabilizing forces during transport or handling. The shape of the oil soaker with the outer shape provides a random bend in the snack piece during frying and before it is dehydrated through the glass transition of each snack piece and during dehydration, and its final shape is determined.

  Although the invention is described below with reference to preferred embodiments, other embodiments are possible. The concepts disclosed herein apply equally to other systems for frying various types of flexible snack unfinished products and providing random bends for each snack piece.

  The volume filled with a bent snack piece depends on the specific shape, dimensions and arrangement of the individual snack pieces. In the present invention, the randomly packaged chip has a bulk bulk density defined herein as the net weight of the packaged snack piece per absolute volume of the container holding the snack piece. Absolute volume, as used herein, is defined as the total liquid volume of a container that holds randomly packaged snack pieces. As one example, the bulk density of a randomly packaged snack piece can be measured by filling a cylindrical container of known volume and then measuring the net weight of the container. The container is not packaged or obstructed during filling, and the snack pieces are stable and ultimately subject to stabilizing forces, resulting in a reduced volume. The bulk density after exposure to such forces is called the stable bulk density.

  In order to control the bulk density of the snack pieces formed from the dough sheet, it is necessary to control the shape and bending of each piece. However, simply producing a bent snack piece does not necessarily produce a higher or lower bulk density compared to a flat snack piece. The thickness, bend, weight, and orientation of the snack pieces must be considered and optimized as much as possible to obtain the desired bulk density. The desired bulk density may be obtained by providing some random bend for each snack piece.

In general, the snack pieces, as described above, refer to FIG. 2, and when the snack piece of an unfinished product is cooked, usually by frying, the final shape of the snack piece during the transition from the rubber state to the glass state. Get. While each snack piece is transitioning from the rubber state to the glass state, a random bend can be caused to each snack piece while frying with a batch fryer using an oil soaker with an outer shape .

In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 3, the unfinished product 302 of the chip is placed in a batch fryer 320 underneath the outer portion with oil immersion 310. When the incomplete chip product 302 is cooked, the incomplete product is maintained with respect to the outer shape of the oil immersion device 310 with the outer shape due to the buoyancy applied to the incomplete product 302 of the chip being cooked. When the chip unfinished product 302 is cooked, the chip unfinished product 302 is given a random shape by the contour 306 of the oil soaker 310. After some time, the cooked chip 302 may be removed from the fryer 320, further processed, and packaged.

In another embodiment, referring to FIG. 5, the chip unfinished product 120 is first continuously introduced into a random frying portion 106 that includes frying oil 104 in a continuous fryer 102. When unfinished product 122 of chips fried randomly is first introduced into the oil 104 typically has a moisture of 30 60% of, when reaching the outer portion with oil immersion 512 On the other hand, if there is not enough moisture to have about 8 to 15 percent moisture per weight, the unfinished products will not tend to stick to each other. At this point, the unfinished product 124 of rubber-like chips can be oil soaked under a seamless outer oil soaker 512. When the unfinished product 122 of chips being fried reaches an oil bath 512 with a profile that is higher than about 10 percent moisture content in either a single layer or multiple layers and is cooked thereunder , Sticking, and clamping, or sticking, or clamping.

Referring to FIG. 5, in a preferred embodiment, the unfinished product 124 of the rubber-like tip reaches the outer portion with oil immersion 512, unfinished products 124 chips are agglomerated, immersed oil for further cooking . In general, the seamless outer oil immersion unit 512 does not cover the entire length of the random fryer 102. Flour and potato flour, or unfinished products of chips made of flour or potato flour, have a residence time of about 15 to 90 seconds. The incomplete product 526 of the oil soaked chip may overlap at a low or high level so that a multi-layered incomplete product 526 of the chip is formed along the length of the oil soaker 512 with the outer portion . While the unfinished product 526 chips lose moisture through cooking under the external part with oil immersion 512, unfinished products 526 of the chip becomes glassy state through a glass transition from a rubbery state. When each chip reaches this glass state, the final shape of each chip is obtained. For a typical dough formulation, if the unfinished chip product 526 being cooked has about 5 percent moisture by weight, these unfinished products will affect the final shape of the finished molded chip product 528. In some cases, the oil soaker 512 with the outer portion is taken out without giving the oil.

Referring to FIG. 5, the oil immersion unit 512 with the external part in the oil immersion part 108 of the continuous fryer 102 has an external part 516 that is substantially different from the prior art. The profiled oil soaker 512 is not simply an oil conveyor belt with linear fins, as shown in the exemplary prior art embodiment in FIG. In one embodiment of the present invention, the oil immersion unit 512 with an outer portion has a V-shaped cross section, and each outer portion 516 has an outer portion height 530. A distance between successive outer shape portions 516 is an outer shape portion interval 518. In one embodiment, the outer portion gap 518 is uniform from the outer portion 516 to the outer portion 516. However, in other embodiments, the contour spacing 518 may vary between successive contours 516.

When outer portion 516 reaches the first outer portion with oil immersion 512, the external part 516, the aggregation of the rubbery chip unfinished product 124 during cooking is improved. Generally, there are more contours 516 per unit length of the conveyor than oil soaker fins (116 in FIG. 1). Generally, the profile is used in place of the oil dip fins to improve functionality. By using the outer portion 516, the outer portion 516 of the first outer portion with oil immersion unit 512, fitting the unfinished product 124 of the incoming rubber chips, unfinished products 526 of the oil immersion chip And more consistently pushed under oil 104. Since profile spacing 518 is generally shorter than the distance between successive fins of prior art oil immersion conveyors, the unfinished product 526 of the oil immersion tip moves along an improved plug flow.

Referring to Figure 5a, when the unfinished product chips during cooking is pushed upward by a buoyant force against the outer portion 516 of the outer portion with oil immersion device, these chips pieces to bend or shape of the outer portion 516 Match. Because each piece 526 is randomly placed along the outer shape 516, a random shape is provided for each piece 526. A preferred random bend and thereby bulk density is obtained when the spacing between adjacent contours 518 is greater than the maximum dimension of each snack piece 526. However, a finished-shaped snack piece 528 having a desired bulk density can be produced using other intervals of the outer portion 518. The final bend of the cooked snack pieces 528 of each shape, the overall cross-section or shape of the external part with oil immersion 512, the spacing between the outer portion 518 continuous, during cooking under oil immersion 512 Not It depends on the number of layers of the finished product 526 and the dough preparation and shape of each unfinished product 526. The outer portion depth 530 of the outer portion oil immersion device 512 is an arbitrary size and may vary from the outer portion 516 to the outer portion 516. However, the profile depth 530 is preferably large enough to accommodate multiple layers of unfinished products 526 of the chips being cooked, while the profiled oil soaker 512 faces the fryer exit conveyor 114. If so, all of this unfinished product 526 is maintained in the plug stream.

In another embodiment, the unfinished product 526 of the chip is maintained for a short duration in multiple layers on the first outer portion with oil immersion 512. This duration depends on the moisture content of the unfinished product 526 of the oiled cooking tip. The unfinished product of the chip passes through the glass state to obtain the final shape under the first oil immersion unit 512 with the outer shape. At this point, the unfinished product 526 of the chip being cooked can be transferred to the next oil bath without losing shape. The following oil soaker facilitates cooking until the unfinished product 526 of the chip being cooked is at the final desired moisture content, but in one embodiment, the final moisture content is approximately by weight. 2 percent. The final moisture content may be as low as 1 percent. The next oil immersion device may not have the same shape, speed, outer shape, and size as the first oil immersion device with outer shape 512. The following oil immersion machine may resemble a prior art oil immersion machine.

In a further embodiment, the unfinished product 526 of the oil soaked cooking chip is not in its final shape when passed to the next oil soaker. In this embodiment, the unfinished product 526 oils soaked chips to obtain a first shape from the first outer portion with oil immersion 512, obtain the final shape with the following oil immersion device. The unfinished product of these oiled chips is put into a glass state under the next oil bath. Chip product 528 having a finished shape is removed from cooking oil 104 on outlet conveyor 114.

  The chip product 528 having the finished shape is then packaged. Chip products having such a finished shape generally have a low bulk density, so that even after the chip product having the finished shape is subjected to a stabilizing force during transportation or handling, it is further contained in the container. Filled. In general, at such low bulk density, the appeal of the finished chip product to consumers is greater than the finished chip product of high bulk density.

Various embodiments of the oil soaker with outer shape are envisaged. FIG. 10 illustrates some of the various three-dimensional cross sections or outlines used within the scope of the present invention. In some embodiments, the outline of the continuous fryer 102 is generally placed perpendicular to the flow of the chip unfinished product 302. However, the outline may be oriented in any direction and may not have a direction or may have no uniform shape at all. The profile may be placed parallel to the oil flow in the continuous fryer 102 and the chip unfinished product 302. The outline may be composed of non-repetitive, non-continuous sets of surface characteristics.

Referring to FIG. 10, in one embodiment, outer portion with oil immersion unit has a uniform outer portion spacing 1002, or otherwise, have a V-shaped cross section having a non-uniform external part interval 1004. In another embodiment, outer portion with oil immersion unit has a cross-sectional profile of a sinusoidal shape with a uniform outer portion interval 1006 or uneven outer portion interval 1008,. In yet another embodiment, the contoured oil soaker has a narrowed cross section 1010 with or without a uniform contour spacing. As a modification of this embodiment, there is a narrowed outer section having a taper 1012. However, the outer section may be uniform or not uniform.

In another embodiment, the contoured oil soaker is comprised of non-uniformly sized spheres 1014 or else conical protrusions 1016. In such a variation of the embodiment, the oil immersion unit with an outer portion may be configured with various similar shapes and cross sections or shapes or cross sections described herein. A contoured oil soaker may also have a three-dimensional contour cross section, such as, but not limited to, an egg carton-shaped cross section having peaks and valleys at regular or irregular intervals. . These embodiments shown in FIG. 10 are for illustration and not for limitation. The following examples more fully illustrate the practice of the present invention.

Example 1
In the first example, various external oil soakers having different shapes or contours are used to cook chips incomplete products having the shape of an equilateral triangle. Referring to FIG. 3, the effect on the bulk density of the particular formulation and shape of snack pieces, various shapes or contours of the outer portion with oil immersion 310 was tested in a batch fryer 320. In this example, one external part with oil immersion 310 has the shape of a sine wave, bulk density of the resulting cooked snack pieces, about 7.5lb / cu from its shape. ft. (0.0694 oz / cu.in; 0.12 g / cu.cm). Using a V-shaped oil soaker 310 having a different profile, the bulk density of the resulting snack piece is about 6.25 lb / cu. ft. (0.0579 oz / cu.in .; 0.100 g / cu.cm). Using various outer portion with oil immersion device shape, bulk density of cooked-packaged chips obtained, if it is cooked with these shaped or external part with oil immersion device, about 6.0Lb / cu. ft. (0.0556 oz / cu.in; 0.096 g / cu.cm) to about 7.5 lb / cu. ft. (0.0694 oz / cu.in; 0.120 g / cu.cm). Finally, as understood in the prior art and used on a daily basis, an unfinished product snack piece of the same shape is cooked using a flat profile oil soaker and this snack piece is used as a reference. It was. Is obtained or from the use of flat profile portions with oil immersion 310 density from about 8.5lb / cu. ft. (0.0787 oz / cu.in; 0.136 g / cu.cm).

(Example 2)
In the second example of the present invention, unlike the oil immersion device used in Example 1, the influence on the bulk density of the snack product was evaluated for two external oil immersion devices having different V-shaped cross sections . It was. A batch of snack unfinished products having an equilateral triangular shape was made from one dough sheet before frying. The unfinished product in Example 2 was made from a dough preparation that was substantially different from that used in Example 1. Snack bulk density of snack pieces that are fried under two outer portions with oil immersion device in this embodiment, the control contour unit with oil immersion device, i.e. that are fried under a flat stainless steel perforated sheet or a stainless steel mesh It was compared with the bulk density of the pieces. FIG. 4 shows two outer shape oil immersion units 404 and 406 of Example 2, both of which have a V-shaped outer shape cross section. One outer portion with oil immersion 404, as compared to the other outer portion with oil immersion 406 has an outer portion with large external part intervals or continuous outer portion interval.

Referring to Table 1, batches of unfinished product snack pieces were cooked using each of the three oil baths described above, and the resulting weight and volume were recorded for each sample. Control batches numbered 1-3 in Table 1 were cooked under control or under a flat oil soaker. Referring to FIG. 4, the oil immersion device has a narrower V-shaped outer shape 406 compared to the oil immersion device outer shape 404 used to cook the S2 sample numbered 1-3. The S1 sample numbered 1-3 in Table 1 was cooked.

Each batch of cooked chips of Example 2 was randomly packaged in a rigid cylindrical container. Each batch was tapped 10 times in order to simulate the stabilizing force during transport and handling. The volume after stabilization and the stabilized bulk density obtained for each batch are recorded in Table 1. For the control batch, the average stabilized bulk density is 0.0506 ounces per cubic inch (oz / cu.in.) With a standard deviation of 0.0032 oz / cu. in. Met. For the S1 sample, the average bulk density is 0.0420 oz / cu. in. The standard deviation is 0.0023 oz / cu. in. Met. Further, for the S2 sample, the average bulk density is 0.0366 oz / cu. in. The standard deviation is 0.0010 oz / cu. in. Met. These measurements of bulk density are substantially different from each other due to the different outer parts of the oil bath used to cook the snack pieces.

  8 and 9 are drawings taken from photographs of snack pieces packaged in a cylindrical container. FIG. 8 shows a control piece 806 that is relatively tightly packaged. In FIG. 8, there are a number of snack pieces 806 that are substantially parallel to each other. Substantial stabilization is evidenced by the void 804 at the top of the container where the chip piece 806 is initially filled into the container 802. FIG. 9 shows the S2 piece 904 packaged in the same container 802. Since only a few voids are formed at the top of the container 802, there are more voids and little stabilization. It is generally preferable for the appearance to the consumer that the bulk density is small, thereby increasing the volume of the chip in the container.

  The present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. However, it should be understood that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The merchant will understand.

The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. However, the present invention itself, as well as preferred modes of operation, further objects and advantages thereof, are best understood by reading the following detailed exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings shown below. .
1 is a side cross-sectional view of a continuous fryer apparatus having a continuous oil immersion conveyor according to the prior art. FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the continuous oil immersion conveyor shown in FIG. 1. Common for polymer materials such as doughs used to make snack pieces or chips that indicate that the temperature rises from bottom to top along the vertical axis and the humidity increases from left to right along the horizontal axis FIG. 4 shows a rubber / glass transition. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a batch fryer having an oil soaker with a contour that provides a random bend to a raw product of a chip under cooking according to an embodiment of the present invention. The perspective view of the two oil-immersers with an external part used in embodiment of this invention which each has a different V-shaped external part cross section or cross-sectional shape. One detailed view of the represented profile portion with oil immersion device in FIG. 4 showing the unfinished product of pressed triangle chip for one of the outer portion of the oil immersion device. 1 is a side sectional view of a continuous fryer apparatus having an oil-immersed conveyor with a continuous outer shape according to an embodiment of the present invention. The detail drawing of the continuous fryer apparatus which has the oil-immersed conveyor with a continuous external shape part by one Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a perspective view of a triangular cooked snack piece cooked under a flat oil bath according to the prior art showing a typical, naturally occurring bend of the cooked product. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a triangular cooked snack piece cooked according to an embodiment of the present invention showing randomly generated bends provided by an oil soaker with outline . FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a container of cooked snack pieces cooked under a flat oil soaker according to the prior art shown in FIG. 6. The perspective view of the container of the cooked snack piece cooked by this invention under the oil-immersed device with an external part shown by FIG. The sectional side view of various forms considered with the cross-sectional shape of the oil immersion apparatus with an external part by this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 102 ... Continuous fryer, 104 ... Oil frying or cooking oil, 106 ... Random frying part of continuous fryer, 108 ... Continuous fryer oil immersion part, 110 ... Inlet conveyor, 112 ... Prior art oil immersion machine, 114 ... Outlet conveyor 116 ... Paddles or fins, 120 ... Raw product of uncooked chips, 122 ... Raw product of chips being fried, 122 ... Raw product of wet chips, 124 ... Raw product of rubbery floating chips, 126 ... Oil soaked chip raw product, 128 ... cooked snack pieces, 132 ... oil soaked chip raw product, 134 ... oil soaked chip raw product with excessive bending, 202 ... soft state, 204 ... rubbery state, 206 ... the glass transition state, 208 ... glass state, 302 ... raw product cooking in the chip, the distance between 304 ... Next contour portion Outer portion of 306 ... oil immersion unit, 308 ... batch fryer oil, 310 ... external part with oil immersion unit, 320 ... batch fryer, 402 ... unfinished products of chips match the contour of the outer portion with oil immersion device, 404 ... V-shaped cross-sectional profile portion with oil immersion device with, 406 ... V-shaped cross-sectional profile portion with oil immersion device with, 512 ... external part with oil immersion device, the outer shape of 516 ... external part with oil immersion device, 518 ... Outer part interval, 512 ... First oil-immersed part with outer part , 512 ... Seamless oil-immersed part with outer part , 526 ... Raw product of the cooking tip, 528 ... Snaked pieces with molded cooking, 530 ... Outline height, 542... Next oil immersion device, 802. Cylindrical container, 804. Air gap, 806... Control snack piece, 904. Molded snack piece, 1002 ... V-shaped outline section having uniform space, 1004 ... V-shaped outer portion cross-section having a non-uniform spatial 1006 ... outer sectional sinusoidal shape having a uniform spatial, 1008 ... outline sectional sinusoidal shape having a non-uniform space, 1010 ... interstice with outer portion cross section having a uniform spatial, 1012 ... Between and heterogeneous tapered such outer portion cross-section with a space, 1014 ... outer sectional made of non-uniform size of the spheres, 1016 ... outer sectional made of conical protrusions.

Claims (14)

A method for making a snack product piece having a random bend and a bulk density, the method comprising:
a) supplying an unfinished snack product to a fryer containing fryer oil;
b) oil-immersing the unfinished snack product in the fryer oil for a predetermined period of time using an oil soaker with an outer shape having at least two three-dimensional outer shapes for imparting a shape to the unfinished product of the snack; Wherein each outer portion has a cross-sectional shape, an outer height, and an outer space interval,
c) applying a random bend to the unfinished product of the snack using the oil soaker with the outer shape ;
d) in order to form a snack product pieces, fried unfinished products of the snack to a desired moisture content in the oil immersion portion formed in the outer portion with oil immersion device, random further said snack product pieces The steps to maintain a bend,
and a step of taking out said snack product pieces from e) the fryer, at least one of the outer portion gap, and greater than the largest dimension of the unfinished product of said snacks, oil immersion device is attached the outer portion A method characterized by being an oil-immersed belt with a seamless outer shape . 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the fryer of step a) is a continuous fryer. The method according to claim 2, wherein an outer shape portion of the oil immersion device with an outer shape portion is substantially perpendicular to a movement of the oil immersion belt with the outer shape portion . 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the outer portion of the oil immersion device with the outer portion in step b) is selected so as to obtain a desired value of bulk density. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
f) packaging the snack product pieces of step e) in a container;
g) stabilizing the snack product piece, wherein the packaged snack product piece has a desired stable bulk density. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional shape of each outer shape portion of the oil immersion device with the outer shape portion in step b) is a sine shape, a V-shape, a narrow gap shape, and a tapered narrow gap portion. And a method selected from the group consisting of shapes. The method according to claim 1, wherein said outer portion gap, characterized in different between outer portions of at least two pairs of said outer portion with oil immersion unit in step b) of the step b). The method according to claim 1, one external part height of the outer portion of the outer portion with oil immersion unit in step b) is, other one height and size of the outer shape portion is different A method characterized by that. It characterized A method according to claim 1, wherein the outer portion of the selected step b) at least one step b of said external part of) is larger than the maximum dimension of the unfinished product of said snack And how to. A fryer oil immersion unit with an external part having at least two three-dimensional external parts , each external part having a cross-sectional shape, an external part height, and an external part interval, and further, the fryer with the external part oil immersion device comprises a to the unfinished product snack piece in at least two layers can immersion oil, the said outer portion gap between at least a pair of outer portions, and greater than the largest dimension of the unfinished product of snack pieces, wherein with external part fryer oil immersion device, wherein the possible with external part fryer oil immersion device is seamless outer portion Tsukeyuhita belt. The fryer according to claim 10, wherein the fryer is a continuous fryer. The flyer according to claim 10, wherein a cross-sectional shape of each of the outer shape portions is one of a sine shape, a V-shape, a narrowed shape, and a tapered narrowed shape. A flyer featuring. The fryer according to claim 10, wherein the outer portion interval is different between at least two pairs of outer portions . A fryer according to claim 10, at least one outer portion height of said outer portion, being larger than the largest dimension of the unfinished product of said snack fryer.

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